Guilford kicks off $60 million drive

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College has launched the public phase of a $60 million fundraising campaign that already has raised $42.3 million in a quiet phase that begin in 2007.

The campaign, which will be the school’s largest ever and tentatively is scheduled to run through 2013, aims to raise $31 million for its endowment, which now totals roughly $61 million; $19.5 million to renovate and expand Founders Hall, the campus’ central building; and $9.5 million for its annual funds.

A key goal is to raise $15 million to endow existing and new scholarships and student aid.

The endowment effort also aims to raise $5 million for faculty development and support; $5 million to endow academic and co-curricular programs; $1 million to support equipment and technological needs for a program for which students produce e-portfolios that integrate academic and experiential learning; and $5 million to endow programs of the Center for Principled Problem Solving.

The expansion of Founders Hall, which now houses the dining hall, student lounges, and offices for campus life and students organizations, will include a 31,000-square-foot, three-story addition that will include a 7,000-square-foot wellness center and new housing for 99 high-achieving first-year students.

Michael J. Poston, vice president for advancement at Guilford, says a goal of the campaign will be to maintain annual giving at roughly $1 million and increase the number of annual donors to nearly 4,000 from an average of roughly 3,200 since 2004.

For the past four year, Guilford has added about 300 new donors a year.